Jackie Buss (Inspired By Food)
'I am inspired by local, fresh, free-range, organic, home-grown food'
Food has always been my passion and inspiration for as long as I can remember. Even from an early age I remember being in the kitchen and always trying something different every time. I would not use recipes except for guidance, but rather make up my own dishes and flavours. It must have run in the family because both my mother and father have also always been passionate about food and this has lead me to be passionate about food, local ingredients, local producers, organic, free range and home grown wherever possible. My passion has also lead me to starting my own business, running my own food business at Cape Town’s food markets.
Jessica Ulyate (Tiny Oven Adventures)
‘I enjoy experimenting with new recipes, and I've got a soft spot for baking and cake decorating.
I'm a 20-something electronic engineer working in the mobile-application security field. I love technology and working with it, but I'm passionate about all things food related!
Evelyn Thomas (shades of cinnamon)
'My every waking moment involves food'
I am a cook, recipe developer and stock photographer from Durban. My love for food and photography has developed into a passion that is the driving force behind my blog, Shades of Cinnamon. My every waking moment involves food. Thinking about what to cook next, trying new ideas, finding the right light in order to take the perfect photograph, writing each post… And, at the end of the day, reaping the rewards, by sitting down with a glass of wine, or a cup of tea, and eating the finished product. Food sustains us, comforts us in our darkest hours and helps us celebrate our happiest moments.
Shafeeqa Effendi (Crushland)
'I started my blog to share all the things that inspire me, and celebrate all the things I love'
I started cooking, baking and painting as a young child, with my little pink camera in tow. Now years later, I’m still doing the same thing! Except now I have a very patient and understanding family, in the form of my beloved husband and two dear sons, who know when not to bother me in the kitchen (and how to hold that 'natural' pose between bites). You’ll find me at an arts and crafts market selling my watercolour paintings on the last Sunday of every month, doing the odd wedding or family shoot, and sometimes creating weird and wonderful cake creations with buttercreams and fondant for special people on special occasions. (My favourite brief is: Surprise me!)
Anél Potgieter (lifeisazoobiscuit)
‘I want my blog to be a happy place’
My blogging journey was born out of a demotivating experience. In 2012, I was incredibly depressed after being rejected on MasterChef, after making it into the top 35. So I started eating my favourite cookies, zoo biscuits −and couldn’t stop. A few weeks later (still eating zoo biscuits for comfort), I woke up one morning (12 April 2012, to be exact) and decided enough was enough. I needed to write about food. And so I started my blog, lifeisazoobiscuit. Since then, life has not been the same. My heart has healed. My life really is like a zoo biscuit – happy, colourful and full of joy! Through my blog, I want others to experience this, so my recipes are all tested and cooked with so much love and photographed by myself. I my blog to be a happy place. In March, my blog received the 2013 Eat Out DSTV Food Network Produce Best Food Blog of the Year Award.
Joanne Clegg (The Food Crew)
My experience has included cooking in private homes, working for reputable caterers and running an on-board yacht cookery course. I stumbled upon my life’s calling: I was the girl who was kicked out of Home Economics in high school because I had no notes in my file! Extramural Home Ec lessons got me through Matric, and when my travels took me to the island of Mallorca, I began working on luxury yachts. It was either manage the galley or live below deck as a glorified chamber maid. Thanks to the bounty of delicious produce from the Mediterranean, I soon began a love affair with food. I returned home in 2008, and finished my chef’s diploma with a distinction – and a bun in the oven! My relaxed rustic-fusion style embraces family dining. It’s unpretentious, focuses on flavour and cooking the ingredients with respect.
Sam Taylor (pomegranate days)
‘I’m enjoying being executive chef of my own kitchen’
I live in the beautiful Paarl Valley. I am the mother of two and the wife of one Dear Husband. I love where we live… that I drive past cows and sheep (and the occasional donkey) on the way home… that from wherever I stand in Paarl, I am surrounded by its glorious mountains. I qualified as a chef de partie from Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in Durban in 1992. For the next 18 years I worked hideously antisocial chef hours on game farms and in restaurants and hotels. The less glamorous side of chef life didn’t diminish my passion for all things culinary. After working over hot passes and nursing scorched hands, leaving the dynamic environment of restaurant and hotel kitchens has heralded in a (relatively) quieter season of my life. I am enjoying being the solitary executive chef of my kitchen.
Kate Liquorish (undomestiKATED)
'Food will always fascinate me'
Food fascinates me. It always has, always will. As an actress by profession (and what an interesting job it can be!), I’ve had the joy (and pain) of a lot of free time in-between work, auditions, post-audition drinking. In this time, I found myself cooking. It soon snowballed: dinner at home became dinner for friends became dinner for 12 became a party became a wedding… Before I knew it, I was working as a caterer and was often asked for my recipes, which I’d never taken the time to write down. Then one day a friend persuaded me to start a blog. So I did… And here I am.
Hila Jonker (Add to Taste)
‘Cooking and baking for me is like meditation.’
I’m a wife, a mother, a full-time worker, and I love food. I love cooking it. In fact, I’d rather cook a meal than snuggle under the duvet! I love eating food – anything from mouth-watering gastronomic experiences to wholesome, down-to-earth fare. I appreciate all good food (and it shows!). My little family of three (my husband and tiny toddler) get to experience all things foodie – from my Romanian heritage to my Israeli roots and my current culinary explorations through cookbooks, blogs and Food TV.
Shirley Berko (CuiZine)
‘I hope to be part of the food community that puts Durban on the map’
I am a graphic designer from Durban who aspires to cook confidently, bake without setting things alight and record the results of my adventures on my blog. When I started varsity, my cooking skills extended to microwaving frozen fish and boiling potatoes. Inspired to change that, my passion for food (and often my overheated frying pan) became inflamed. Since then, I've progressed to cooking with fresh fish and making confit potatoes… and keeping a fire extinguisher handy. Almost as much as I love food, I love my little city of Durban. Our city is often underestimated, but I hope to be a part of the growing food community that puts Durban on the map. I hope to do this by cooking well… and not setting any more baked goods alight!
Candice Bresler (The Gorgeous Gourmet)
'I want to help people rediscover the joy of cooking.'
I’m a vanilla-obsessed eater, baker and cook. I live in a beautiful corner of Cape Town, and I document my adventures in and out of the kitchen from my corner of cyberspace – The Gorgeous Gourmet. It began when I was a little girl, ‘helping’ my mom in the kitchen (really, just licking the bowl). After graduating from UCT (English and Politics), I moved to the French Alps for a year while working in the hospitality industry. There, I happily embraced a world of cream, cheese and bread – ingredients that still weigh heavily in my heart and hips. Now, I spend my days working with premium kitchen brands, and my nights and weekends writing for The Gorgeous Gourmet. I strive to find the balance between fresh vanilla pods, butter and cream, and time at the gym.
Lara Johnson (How to Cook an Elephant)
‘Pinterest feeds my interest in organic gardening, food photography and recipes’
I’m an administrator at a remedial school in Cape Town. Influenced by my German grandmother and English heritage, I learnt to cook at a young age, and chose to pursue my love for cooking by studying in Stellenbosch. After a stint of living in London, and picking organic grapes in Tuscany, I returned to Cape Town and started my blog, How to Cook an Elephant, in May 2009 for a bit of culinary ‘fun on the side’. I live with my husband, Brett, and our puppydog, Tosca… as well as a slowly growing fortune of Le Creuset cookware, kitchen gadgets and cookbooks. Here you will find me in the kitchen or pottering in the backyard garden.
Jessica Franks (JessKa's Kitchen)
'By the time I’m 80, I’m going to need my own cookbook library!'
I like food. A lot. I take a million photos of whatever and wherever I'm eating. So much so, the photos on my phone are 80 percent of food; 20 percent of my dogs, Basil and Pickle. (They had to have food names, even though my friends voted we call them Batdog and Robin.) My food blog is called JessKa's Kitchen (pronounced like a lazy two-syllable Jessica without the i) and I’ve been blogging since 2011. My blog is home to all my favourite recipes, restaurant reviews and other food-related awesomeness. I’m based in Johannesburg, and by day, I’m a network engineer for one of South Africa’s telecommunications companies.
Barry Gerber (Cape Cook)
'My love for cooking stems out of my love for making other people happy'
I’m 45 years old and from Bellville, Cape Town. I grew up in Malmesbury, and still love the Swartland and West Coast very much. The people are like my cooking: honest, without pretence. I didn’t grow up watching my mother cook. I played outside like most boys. But when I left home at 18 I started cooking for myself and friends - sometimes with success; sometimes with disastrous results! My love for cooking stems from my love for making people happy. My cooking style is rustic, with influences from boerekos and the country-style cooking of France and Italy, with occasional attempts at fanciness.
Amy-Louise Rankin (20-something in Cape Town)
'I’m a wine-guzzling, food-loving word-nerd'
Growing up on a farm in Limpopo, I clearly remember the day my mom first brought home olive oil. Even then, I hated ‘fake food’ (read: processed cheese and polony). But my real culinary journey (and my ‘winecation’!) began when I moved to Cape Town to study 10 years ago, and had to teach myself how to cook. Once I started working in publishing, I was regularly invited to food events and launches. I started my blog, 20-somethinginCapeTown, to share my discoveries. Nine months ago, my husband and I blended our own wine for our wedding. I’d love to make a batch of beer one day, too. Until then, I’ll just keep consuming the wondrous products around me – making sure I occasionally run to stave off extra kilos!
Teresa Ulyate (Cupcakes and Couscous)
‘My goal is to spread the foodie love’
My passion for food had its roots in childhood. I have fond memories of baking mince pies and biscuits over the Christmas holidays, granny's apple pie and custard, mom’s muesli slowly baking in the oven… After school I completed a National Diploma in Food and Nutrition, then began working at an upmarket food store in Cape Town. After a brainwave, I approached the owners with a product idea. They agreed to give me a chance, so I grew a business with several product lines, including handmade chocolate truffles and iced tea. After selling my business to travel with my husband, I worked as a product developer for a food company in Cape Town until I had my daughter. As a busy mom, I tend to revert to the same recipes, but I plan to challenge myself, too... (And to share the results on my blog, of course.)
Nicola George (Wots For Lunch?)
‘I’m a Capetonian, food geek, lunch-box packer, software developer and more…’
It’s no surprise that I love food − my mom tells me it was even my first word! My blogging journey began with the Arthur Golden book Memoirs of a Geisha. After reading it, I developed an obsession with all things geisha, which developed into a fascination with Japanese culture and, eventually, bento meals. I discovered blogs like Cooking Cute, Just Bento and Adventures in Bentomaking and was inspired by the compact, balanced and cute packed meals they featured. In 2007 I created a blog on 24.com, but in 2010 I decided to go it alone and moved my blog to Wots For Lunch? I blog about the lunches I pack for myself, the occasional recipe, and lately I’ve been having fun with Instagram, posting monthly roundups of the food-themed photos I share there.
Tandy Sinclair (lavender and lime)
‘Food is about feeding the soul’
My journey with food started when I got to cook with my paternal grandmother and her aunts for the Jewish high holy days. My grandmother was an artist by profession and I always say that I found my art form in the kitchen. Since I moved out of home, I have created dishes in my kitchen like an artist. Some of them have not worked out well; some have gone on to win awards. In September 2009 I started a food blog and as it has grown, I have grown along with it. I try to use regional and seasonal produce wherever possible, and I support as many local farms, industries and shops as I can. To me, food is more than just about feeding the stomach: It’s about feeding the soul.
Zirkie Schroeder (PinkPolkaDot)
'Zirkie is my name, foodblogging is my game!'
I grew up in the beautiful bosveld town of Bela Bela. My Afrikaans mother cooked real boerekos. If she had her way, we’d have eaten meat three times a day. My mom enjoyed cooking and baking, and it wasn’t long before her interest became mine. At 12, I started making breakfast menus for my school holidays. Later I started cooking lunch and dinner, too. Food took a backseat when I started a career in the IT industry. After my son was born in 1995, I was often away from home for work. So in 2001, when I got the chance to make a career change, I bought a coffee shop. For seven years, I baked all the cakes, most of the muffins and all of the quiches myself. Friends and family kept requesting my recipes, so I decided to start blogging on Food24. To my surprise, my blog became popular.
Saaleha Bamjee (Electric Spaghetti)
‘I’m a freelance writer, designer, editorial consultant and amateur food photographer.’
When I'm not making, eating or taking pictures of food, I’m working towards completing an MA in Creative Writing (with a specialisation in Poetry) through Rhodes University. I’m based in Johannesburg.
Bradley Castle (The Hungry Chef)
‘I love to mix old-world recipes with new-world techniques to create something that’s even better than the original.’
I’m a self-taught chef who got into the industry because of my passion for food and my understanding of how to put somebody at peace with a plate of food. I make everything myself – from my own cheeses, artisan breads and stoneground, pure-butter puff pastries. I’ve cured my own meats and I’ve made my own sausages. My hunger for knowledge about food is ongoing, hence the name “the hungry chef”. I specialise in Indian curries, Thai foods, Mediterranean cuisine and cooking with sustainable seafood. I also love German and Korean foods.
Rosemary Gough (Homemade Heaven)
'Everything that is eaten in our home is always made from scratch.'
I have no problem writing (and talking) about food, hiking, other people, other places… actually I can fill your whole day with words – except about myself. Here goes! I started blogging in August 2007, as a way to share my life and recipes with my family, far and near. What started as the odd recipe and photo soon grew into an all-consuming hobby that interrupted family meal times! I now feed a household of seven people, ranging in age from 22 months to 58 years old (including two hardworking 18 year olds). While my blog Homemade Heaven had to slow down when life caught up with me, I’m still passionate about blogging and cooking
Natasha Silva (Eazy Peazy Lemon Squeazy)
‘I’m still in utter awe of the fact that I can combine two of my biggest passions in a way very few other people can.’
While I’ve always felt a strong pull towards writing (ever since my early teen-angst, diary-owning days!), I only recently discovered that my love for eating can actually take me places. I always seek out rustic classics with a twist. Being only 22 years old (nearly 23!), I have a lot to learn. At the moment, all I’m seeking are learning opportunities that can help grow my passion for cooking (as well as my skill, of course). I really enjoy trying out new recipes at home and discovering new dishes at new restaurants.
Andanté Wiehahn (Lekkerbek)
'Graphic designer by profession, PR by experience and food lover by passion.'
My family has always been obsessed with food. As a child, my parents each ran a restaurant. I recall falling asleep under tables, playing hide-and-seek in enormous kitchens and not thinking it strange to see a live crayfish being turned into our dinner. When I was 10 my mom asked me what I wanted to serve at my birthday lunch and I said artichokes (don’t think that went down to well with my tomato sauce-obsessed peers!). Four years ago, my mother, Wirie, had a concept for a gourmet gifting company, and that’s how LekkerBek started. In the meantime, I also met my husband Wiets. Together we have travelled the world tasting as many delicacies as our tummies (and wallets) would allow. Now I spend endless hours experimenting in the kitchen – it’s creative therapy.
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